S.C. attorney general returning contributions from Harrell and group tied to him

S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson (left) is returning contributions made to his inaugural fund by S.C. Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell (right) and a group controlled by Harrell.

COLUMBIA — State Attorney General Alan Wilson says he is returning thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from House Speaker Bobby Harrell and a group tied to him.

The move comes after an attorney for the State Ethics Commission said one of the donations would be improper for any elected official to make.

Harrell made a $3,500 contribution dated January 6, 2011 from his campaign fund for Wilson’s 2011 inaugural party.

State Ethics Commission attorney Cathy Hazelwood said a candidate shouldn’t use their campaign funds for such a donation because campaign expenditures “have to bear a fairly direct relationship to a candidate’s re-election or to the office they’re holding.”

Either way, Wilson said in a statement today that the contribution and another $3,500 donation from the Harrell-tied Palmetto Leadership Council will be returned.

Wilson last week referred a complaint against Harrell alleging he used his office and campaign account for personal gain to the State Law Enforcement Division.

Here is Wilson’s full statement: “The office of Attorney General, as well as many offices in law enforcement — including solicitors and sheriffs — is an elected position. Candidates for those positions receive thousands of campaign contributions every election cycle. Elected officials have a duty to uphold the law fairly, regardless how it might impact their many previous campaign contributors. As attorney general, I regard that duty as a sacred responsibility. As to past contributions my campaign has received from the Palmetto Leadership Council and/or Bobby Harrell personally, the Attorney General’s Office is in no way conflicted in our responsibility to uphold the law. However, appearance does matter. Therefore, I have instructed my campaign to refund both contributions. I am doing this in an abundance of caution to avoid even the slightest appearance or impression that this office could be compromised in any way.”

Read more in upcoming editions of The Post and Courier. Reach Stephen Largen at 864-641-8172 and follow him on Twitter @stephenlargen.

Get more news delivered to your inbox:

Comments

Notice about comments:

The Post and Courier is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point.

We do not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click the X that appears in the upper right corner when you hover over a comment. This will send the comment to Facebook for review. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full terms and conditions.